Cooling means for motor-compressors.



No. 600,907. 0 ,Patented oct. s0, |900. J. TV. mcoLsoN. COOL-ING MEANS FDB MOTOR COMPRESSUHS. (Application med sept. 12, 1900.) (Ilo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

. M61 Nw No. 600,997. Patented 0st. 30. |900.

.1. T. mcoLSoN. GOULING MEANS FOR MUTDB COMPRESSORS.-

(Applicmon ma s'epz. 12, 1900.)

(N0 Model.) 2 shuts-Sheet 2.

U/nesses:

. c. TM: Nunms FUER: co.. PHOTO-mmc.. wnsnmcn'ow, D

4o in compound arrangement.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT trios.

JOHN THOMAS NICOLSON, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

CQOLING lVI-EANS FOR MOTOR-COMPRESSORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,997, dated october so, 1900.

Application filed September 12, 1900. Serial No. 29,759. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, J oHN THOMAS NIooL- fsoN, D. Sc., a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Manchester, in the county 5 of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Gear for Motor-Compressors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Joule in 1851 suggested the production of lo power bya scheme involving the use of compressed air, a heating receiver or furnace,

the balance to have been utilized for driving any suitable mechanism. Since that date many others have devoted much time and attention to the development of the scheme,

2o but mechanical difliculties have hitherto rendered fruitless all efforts to obtain commercial success. Some of these diiculties are overcome by my present invention, which relates to the valve-gear of the motor and airz5 compressor.

My improved system, to which the hereinafter-described improvements appertain, is fully described in the application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 19,337, filed June 6, 1900.

In the production of power by my said system I rst compress air to a high pressure by means of a compressor actuated by a hot-air motor. I then heat the air so compressed, and finally deliver the hot air to the motor and utilize it therein both for compressing air and for externalwork. A single motor and a single compressor are contained in a single cylinder; but usually I employ a plurality of motors and compressors either in simple or The air to be compressed may be drawn either from the atmosphere or from a cooling-reservoir into which the motor discharges. After compression it is delivered to a storage-reservoir,

whence it is led to a heating device, in which it is highly heated before its admission to the motor. The motor and compressor valves are separate water-cooled rotary valves positively driven from the main or crank shaft.

5o The cooling-water circulates through the compressor-valve, jackets surrounding the cylinders, andthe motor-valves.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows a longitudinal section along the centers of the valves'and one of the cylinders of a three-cylinder motor-compressor; Fig. 2, a partial longitudinal section of a` motor-valve, showing a modified construction of the admission-thoroughfare; Fig. 3, a transverse section through one of the cylinders and both valves; Fig. 4, an enlarged view of part of the motor-valve; Fig. 5, an enlarged'view of the upper part of Fig. 3, and Fig. o a crosssection through the center of the compressorvalve on a larger scale.

In the illustrated construction there are three cylinders in parallel arrangement; but it will be understood that there may be a greater or less number and that a compound or series arrangement may be employed with successive expansions in the motors and successive compressions-in the compressorsas in other systems. Each cylinder 14 la 14h is fitted with a trunk-piston l5, which is connected by a connecting-rod 16 with the cranks 17, '17, or 17h. The trunk l5a of each piston is of smaller diameter than-the piston, and there is constituted around it in the lower part ot' the cylinder a closed annular chamber in which the compression of the air is effected by the approaching piston.v The hot compressed air enters at the opposite end of the cylinder, where it acts upon the whole area of the piston.

The rotary motor-valve l2 is shown by Fig. l to be constructed with thoroughfares l2, 12d, and 12e, perpendicular to the axis of the valve, giving two admissions for each revolution of the valve. have only one admission per revolutioma diagonal thoroughfare, as shown by Eig. 2, may be substituted in the construction. The valve is shown to be provided also with subsidiary exhaust-thoroughfares 1221214, and 121'. That part of the valve in which the second and third thoroughfares 12d, 12e, 12g, and 12h are situated is shown in elevation, so as to more clearly illustrate the lubricatingchannels hereinafter described. The circulating water enters the valve-casing from the cylin- Should it be desired to" der-jackets by the pipe 12j and passes into the proximate open end of the valve, from which it issues through holes 12k into the lateral valve-jackets 12b, finally escaping by the pipe 121.

The cylinder water-jackets 14, 14h, and 14 are limited to the upper ends of the cylinders, and in each of them there is constructed a small chamber 12, Figs. 4 and 5, connecting the subsidiary exhaust-outlet 12 with the exhaustport corresponding with the thoroughfare 12f, 12g, or 12h in the rotar)7 valve. This subsidiary exhaust serves to diminish the back pressure to give greater efficiency and smoothness of running. The main eX- haust-ports are formed by the openings 14d in the walls of each cylinder and are opened and closed by peripheral extensions of the piston. The exhaust opens into the lower part of the cylinder-casing, whence it may escape through the outlet 14, Fig. 4, either to the atmosphere or to a cooler for subsequent use in the compressor.

Motion may be communicated from the crank-shaft to the driven mechanism by the toothed pinion 18.

The rotary compressor-valve 19 has three suction-ports 19 and three discharge-ports The air for the suction enters through the driving chain wheels 20 and 2Oa and passes along the annular channel 19c and through the ports 19 and the cylinder-ports 191. The discharged compressed air passes through the ports 19d and 19b into the central cavity 19c ot' the valve and out through the end ou tlet 19f. The cooling-Water enters by the pipe 19h, passes along the axial tube 1.9i at the opposite end of which there is a right-angled bend opening through the surface of the valve, through which a portion of the water escapes once or oftener in each revolution through a port or ports 19i into the valve-jacket 19j, whence it passes by the pipe 19k to the water-jacket 14h. The Water-jackers lea, 11th, and 14C being connected by pipes, the water passes successively through them to the pipe 12j and the motor-valve, as already described.

The valves are positively rotated, the compressor-valve by the chain-wheels 20 and 201 with a connecting chain and the motorvalve by the chain-wheels'20 and 2()c and a connecting-chain. The wheel 20 is fast with the whee'l 20, and consequently moves therewith.

Lubrication of the motor-'valve and of the compressor-valve may be effected through the tubes 21a from the main lubricator 21 or from a plurality of such lubricators. The or each main lubricator 21 has its upper part in open connection through the tube 21b with the compressed-air reservoir, so that the pressure on each side is balanced. Grooves 12'n may be turned in the surface of either or both the rotary valves to aid in the distribution of the lubricant.

The lower side of each trunk-piston is provided with peripheral extensions, corresponding with those on the upper side, serving to prevent the outlets 14d from opening into the compressor side of the piston.

The compression parts of the cylinders communicate with acommou pipe (not shown in the drawings) th rough a cock intercalated between each cylinderand tlre common pipe. It is arranged that these cocks 22 can be simultaneously opened and closed by a commonlink 22, If the cocks be opened, no compression takes place and the whole work of the motor is available. This part of my invention is more fully described and is claimed in the application for Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to.

Having now described my invention, I declare that what I claim is- 4 1. In an aircompressor, a rotary compressor-valve having an annulaichamber in"wv with the delivery-outlet, said cavity having also a port corresponding with the cylinderport, and a tube forming part of a water-circulating system, substantially as described.

2. In a jacketed rotary valve for an aircompressor, an axial tube surrounded by a space through which the compressed air is delivered, a branch of the said tube at one end opening through the surface of the valve and communicating with a water-admission port, and a second branch at the opposite end of the tube also opening through the su rface of the valve and communicatingthrough a port with the water-jacket, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have subscribed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN THOMAS NICOLSON.

Witnesses: GEO. Hnvs,

ARTHUR MILLWARD.

IOO 

